Internal-combustion engine



Patented June 4, 1923.

UNITED S'lia'l fi WILLIAM R. TRAMMELL, 0F CHIMNEY ROCK, NORTH CAROLINA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed December 22, 192?. Serial N0.'241,915.

Broadly my present invention has reference tointernal combustion engines, but primarily the improvement is directed to the fuel intake and exhaust valves for such engines.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a combined fuel intake and exhaust valve for internal combustion engines and means for positively and accurately operating the valve to bring its ports into alinement withthe intake and exhaust ports of the en gine at the intake and exhauststrokes of the pistonsand to hold said valve in neutral position during the compression and explosive strokes of the pistons.

A further object is to provide an internal combustion engine with a tubular valve that is self-grinding'on its seat and which has a stem that is suitably guided into the crank case of the engine, the said stem having an offset end on which is mounted a roller arranged for travel in a peripheral groove on a wheel that is fixed on the engine cam shaft, the said groove having offset portions or passages through which the roller travels to impart an oscillatory movement in arotary direction to the valve to bring the ports thereof into andout of register with the intake and exhaust ports of the engine, the valve being held stationary, with its ports out of register with the engine intake and exhaust ports when the roller travels through the straight passage of the groove.

A still further object isto provide an engine block with a valve seat or housing for a tubular valve whose upper end is open, whose top and bottom have extensions for interengagement with the valve seat or housing, whose sides have continuousgrooves for expansion rings and spaced ports between such rings, which latter are designed, when the valve is turned to certain positions, to register with fuel intake and exhaust ports in the sides of the valve seat or housing, the said valve having a depending stem that is guided into the engine crank case, and the said stem is spring influenced to hold the valve seated and has on its lower end an offset arm on which is journaled a roller that travels through a peripheral groove on a wheel fixed on the engine crank shaft, and which groove has a substantially S-shaped passage whose walls are contacted by the roller to turn the valve to bring the ports thereof into register with the intake and with the exhaust ports of the valve seat or housing.

The improvement also resides in certain other novel features of construction, combination and operative assoclation of parts, one

satisfactory embodiment of which isdisclosed by the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure lis a sectional view through a sufficient portion of an internalcombustion engme to illustrate the application of my improvedvalve thereon, the valve being also in In the drawing the numeral 1 indicatesa suilicient portion of an internal combustion engine block to illustrate the improvement. The engine crank case is indicated by the nu moral 2, one of the cylinders by the numeral 3 and the hea-d for the block by'the numeral 4.

The block 1, at one side of the cylinders 3, and from the top of the said cylinders is built outwardly to provide the same with tubular valve seats or housings 5, there being spaces for the circulation of Water around the said seats, or housings and the cylinders. Each cylindrical or tubular seat or housing 5 is surrounded, at its upper portion, by an annular depression 6, and the lower Wall of each ofthe said seats or housingsis grooved to provide an annular depression 7. The built out portionof the engine block, below each of the seats 5, is formed with a depending lug enlargement 8.

Each valve seat is provided, at its opposite sides with intake and exhaust ports respectively. These ports 9 and 10 areformed between curved or rounded walls 11 and 12 in the said built out portion of the block, and the said ports, of course, have connected thereto respectively the branches of the intake and exhaust manifolds for the engine.

The numeral 13 designates one of the tubular valves employed. The valves 13 are designed to be snugly received in the seats 5. Each valve 13 has its upper end open and formed with an annular enlargement in the nature of a head 14- that is designed to be seated in the depression 6. The bottom of the valve 13 is formed with a peripheral extension 15 to be received in the groove 7, and the said bottom of the valve is integrally intake port and the opening formed with a centrally arrangedstem 16 that is guided through the boss 8 and is received through a guide member 17 in the top of the crank case 2.

The body 13 of the valve has spaced annular depressions or grooves in which are seated metal expansion rings or gaskets 18, and between these friction rings the body 13 is provided with a pair of comparatively closely related longitudinally extending ports 19 and 20, respectively. The opening 19 provides the 20 the exhaust ort.

Preferably adjustably fixed on the valve stem 16 there is a collar 21, and contacting with this collar and the bottom of the built out portion of the block 1 there is a helical spring 22. This spring is guided between the boss 18 and an inner reduced portion on the collar 21. The spring influences the valve downwardly in its seat.

' Fixed on the end of the stem 16 received in the crankcase 2 there is a crank arm 23, the depending branch of the said arm having journaled thereon a roller 2a.

The engine cam shaft is indicated byjthe numeral 25, and fixed on this shaft there are wheels 26. Each wheel 26 has a peripheral groove 27 to receive therein the roller 24. Each groove 27 has an angle and substantially S-shaped passage 28 therein and the end or oppositely rounded parts of this passage are indicated, in Figure 3, for distinction by the numerals 29 and 30, respectively.

The cam shaft turns in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, and consequently .turns the wheel 26 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3. As long as the roller 24; remains in the straight passage of the groove 27 the ports 19 and 20 in the valve 13 will be retained out of register with either of the ports 9 or 10 so that the valve is in neutral position during the compression and explosion stroke of the pistons. When the piston is moved to its exhaust stroke the roller, will travel into the rounded depression 29in the S-shaped passage 28, thereby turning the valve 13 to bring its port 20 into register with the engine exhaust port 10. In its passage through the angle branch of the S-shaped portion of the groove the roller will turn the valve to bring the port 20 out of register with the port 10, and when the roller moves into the rounded end portion 30 of the S-shaped passage, the valve 13 will be turned to bring its intake port 19 into register with the engine intake port 9. Thus it will be noted that with my improvement the turning of the valve is accurately timed. The expansion rings 18 insure a fluid tight joint between the valve and its seat. The reciprocatory or turning movement of the valve in its seat grinds the said valve on its seat, and frees the same of foreign matter. r

The simplicity and advantages of my construction will, it is thought, be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates when the fore going description has been carefully read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, but obviously I do not wish to be restricted to the precise details of construction as herein set forth, and, therefore, hold myself entitled to make such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim.

Having described the invention, I claim In an internal combustion engine, the combination, cylindrical valve seats arranged parallel and adjacent to each of the piston cylinders thereof, and each of said seats having an intake and exhaust port, a tubular valve having an open top arranged in each of said seats, and having closely positioned intake and exhaust ports, a stem depending from each valve and guided into the engine crank case, an angle arm on the stem, a cam shaft, a peripherally grooved wheel fixed on the cam shaft to receive the end of the angle arm therein, and-said groove having a substantially S-shaped branch therein, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM R. TRAMMELL. 

